Contemporary Psychoanalysis
and Eastern Thought

Outline of Chapters:

how contemporary psychoanalysis (object relations theory, self psychology) compares to Zen and Taoism - defining "psychoanalysis" and "eastern thought" - methods for integrating eastern and western ideas - obstacles to this pursuit - the need for this pursuit

2. East Meets West

the history of how psychoanalysis converged with eastern thought - the selfobject relationships between these eastern and western disciplines - common historical themes concerning psychoanalysis and eastern thought

3. Self and No-Self

the western emphasis on attaining "self" - the eastern emphasis on attaining "no-self" - various models for resolving this apparent disparity between east and west - facets of selfhood and no-self - the interpenetration of self and no-self

4. Paradox

the role of paradox in psychological and spiritual transformations - the Zen koan - paradoxes within the intrapsychic world - the self/other paradox - paradox as pointers - the paradox of the willing self - beyond the realm of paradox

5. Words, Images, Things

the role of representational systems (verbal, imagistic, enactive) in spiritual growth - the limitations of language and concepts - mental imagery as transitional space in spiritual growth - the dynamics of form and formlessness - grasping the ungraspable

6. Meditative Consciousness

the intrapsychic mechanisms and types of meditation - the liabilities and therapeutics of meditation - the clinician's contemplative experience - meditation in life context - the relationships and complementarity between psychotherapy and meditation

7. Students, Teachers, and Their Relationship

strengths and pathology in spiritual students - strengths and pathology in spiritual teachers - crazy wisdom - the psychodynamics of the student/teacher relationship

relating the I Ching imagery system to psychotherapy - the meanings of the yin/yang symbol applied to psychotherapy - the eight trigrams and psychotherapy - Taoist qualities of psychological transformations